Officials say chemical fire was accidental

Posted: Sunday, October 17, 2004

CONYERS - A massive warehouse fire that sent a cloud of chlorine-tinged smoke into the air and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of homes is believed to have been started accidentally, according to the results of the fire investigation.

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Rockdale County and the Georgia Fire Marshall's Office officials concluded the May 25 BioLab blaze was not intentionally set, although they could not determine the fire's exact cause, according to a report released Friday. BioLab is a manufacturer of pool and spa products.

Capt. Phil Norton, chief investigator with the Rockdale County Fire Department, noted in the report that the fire destroyed much of the physical evidence and hindered investigators in determining the cause of the fire.

Norton reported that the investigation into the BioLab fire in Conyers was closed "unless new information or evidence comes to light."

Arson investigators were called to the scene on May 26 and begin interviewing workers and supervisors. At that time, the site was deemed unsafe with chemicals still burning under the building's collapsed roof.

Investigators soon believed the fire was not intentionally set and considered several scenarios during their investigation. In a draft synopsis included in the report, Norton, along with state fire investigators, considered the fire may have been the result of a reaction caused by spilled chemicals. The scenario was based on an interview with a worker who was at the BioLab warehouse the morning of the fire. The worker said there was a spill of an unidentified chemical from a forklift that was not investigated by a supervisor, according to the report.